The Dalit leader, Shivaramu, had urged devotees not to perform ritual of Dalits rolling over left over food.

advertisement

Headlines Today Bureau

November 30, 2011

UPDATED: November 30, 2011 18:08 IST

If the ritual of Dalits rolling over left over food was not bad enough, a man protesting the bizarre Madey Snana ritual at Mangalore's Kukke Subramanyatemple was attacked on Wednesday.

The Dalit leader, Shivaramu, was attacked for protesting the medieval ritual. Ironically, he was assaulted by the devotees themselves.

Shivaramu had urged devotees not to perform ritual. However, his intervention enraged the devotees, who attacked him at the temple.

While the ritual itself was sickening, Karnataka Chief Minister Sadanand Gowda's response clearly indicted that he would not be the one to crack down on such inhuman practice.

Instead of condemning the practice, Gowda said it was typical ritual that has been going on for several years. He said he would look into the matter and a decision on discontinuing it would be taken only after consultations.